Means for purifying air in elevator cars



April 16, 1946. l. R. DlsBRo ETAL.

MEANS FOR PURIFYING AIR IN ELEV'ATOR CARS Filed Aug. 50, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l y INVENTORS. IRA R` DISBRO & `JOI-IN SCOULTON.

l. R. DISBRO ETAL MEANS FOR PURIFYING AIR IN ELEVATOR CARS April 16, 1946.

Filed Aug. 50, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIP l )a n INVENToRs. IRA R. DISBROEf BY JOHN S. COULT'ON.

` such recirculated air in such a manner as to avoid direct exposure of the passengers in the car to the vincorporated therein; v

y 1 taken on the line '2'2 of F18. 1, andv n ceiling 3. g Y l at the center thereof, and disposed directly-above Patented 'Api'. 16, 1946 MEANS Fon PURIFYING Ant 1N nLEvA'ron cans 1ra n. nismo, Lakewood, una John s. couiton,

, Cleveland, h10, assignors to The W. S. Tyler Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August so, 1944, s eriol No. 551,195

` 1 claim. (c1. eis-a) This invention relates, as indicated, to a method of and means for purifying air in elevator cars and the like.

It has been proposed, as in U. S. Patent No. 2,350,389, to ventilate an elevator car by drawing air from the interior of the car and from a point 'exteriorly of thecar, and blowing said air in a horizontal direction at a point below the ceiling or canopy of the car.

The constant recirculation of the air which is in the car, while highly desirable from the standpoint of ventilation, is undesirable from a hygienic standpoint, since such air becomes increasingly germ-laden, particularly during the hours in each day when the elevator car is crowded.

The present invention has as its primary object' a method of purifying such recirculated air while retaining all of the benets of recirculation.

Another object of the invention is to purify purifying agent. l

A further object of the invention is to purify the air inl a highly eflicient manner, and at a' minimum cost, from the standpoint of the purifying equipment required. y

A still further object of the invention isto provide purifying equipment which can be easily and inexpensively installed in existing elevator cara and without `requiring extensive redesign or reconstruction of such cars.

Other objects and advantages of the invention The plate 5 has secured thereto brackets 8 which serve to support -an electric motor 8, the shaft l0 of which extends vertically and has .mounted thereon a fan Il which is preferably of the blower type, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The fan, it may be noted, is disposed directly below the opening 4 in the ceiling 3 of the car.

Suspended below the ceiling 3 of the car, in spaced relation to the latter, as by means o! bolts l2, is a panel I3 of approximately square outline, and having a central opening i4, below which a grill I5 is disposed, the grille being supported by a portion I6 of the panel i3, and being preferably of the type which effectively conceals indirect source oi light for illumination of the moval of the panel.

the blower lifrom the view of the occupants -of the car.

The panel i3, it may be noted, is of considerably larger area than the fan il, and ,is stamped or shaped to provide a trough il around its edges, within which a plurality of fluorescentV light bulbs i8 is disposed, such bulbs providing a desirable interior of the car. These bulbs, being disposedadjacent the edges of the panel, are easily accessible for replacement purposes,without re-V The panel i3 is also stamped or shapedfto pro vide a rectangular troughl, the constituent por- .tions of which are ksubstantially parallel to the will be apparent during the course of the foilowing` description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part ofthis specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like partsl throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in 4vertical cross-section `and partly in elevation, voi? an elevator car havingv vthe novel features of the present invention Iig. 2 is a transverse {cross-#sectional view,v

liig. 3 is a'iragmentary transverse crossesectionalYleW. takenon the line -fofFlg. 1.

` v Referring morepartiomany tothe drawing, I y they elevator ca riscf conventional design, andl Y comprises a platform l, walls 2, anda canopy or The ceiling 3 has a circular opening 4 'this opening, in spaced relation thereto,l is 'ya u .platefl supported by meansnoftublilarspacers 6. Surrounding these spacers lean`V enclosure 1* portions of the .trough I'Il which they adjoin.

Disposed in each of the constituent portions or o the trough I9 is a.tubular lamp 20. The lamps k2l) are germicidal or `ultra-violet lamps, of a type which has recently come into use.

The walls 2 of the car have. grilles 2| therein,

` immediately above the' platform or floor I.

j` panel I3, this 'inducedV When the ian is bperated, currents of air will 'y be drivenouthorizontally by the fan, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l, will strike the canopy 3 of the car, and will be deflected downwardly into the car, as is also indicated by arrows. 'I'he -rush of the driven air away fromithe blower fan will produce induced currents. 1 both down- 'wardiy through the openingldn the ceiling, and upwardlyv through theigrlile; liginftlieA suspended airfbeingthen-blownout u iAny-.avsurplusof'airin wnofanjthmusn the exhausted* throughihe f whionaisithi1$-b1ownj horizontally bythe fan-9 issubietedto nradiationbylthe f germicidal lamps 521i, ias Lindicateci;` bythe-trays y emanating from these lamps mais. a1.' the trough ,iebeing so deslgnedfas-to provide reflective Sllrhorizontally by thejf the car, due' toth ceiling .opening grilles y2|.

All of theair recirculated air is constantly being purified without, in any way, interfering with the ventilation of the car. Moreover, since the germicidal lamps are disposed above the suspended panel and spaced well inwardly of both the outer edges of the panel as well as from the edges of the opening Il, the recirculated air is puried without direct exposure of the passengers in the car to the ultra-violet rays from the germicidal lamps.

It will be readily seen that the air in the car is puriiled in a highly efcient manner and at a minimum cost, since the suspended panel serves a number of distinct functions, and duplication of parts is avoided.

The germicidal lamps can be easily and inexpensively installed, even in existing or old types of elevator cars, and without requiring extensive redesign or reconstruction of the cars.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred exampleof the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the subjolned claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: In an elevator car including a ceiling, means forming a panel beneath said ceiling, said panel having an opening in the central part thereof for the passage of air therethrough, outer edges of said panel being spaced 'from the side walls of said car for forming air passages therebetween;`

an air impelling means disposed intermediate the ceiling and panel and in registry with said opening in the panel for causing air to iiow intermediate the ceiling and said panel, said panel having trough-like portions that substantially surround the central portion of the panel and which por tions are disposed intermediate the periphery of said air impelling means and said outer edges of said panel; and germicidal lamps disposed in said trough-like portions, said lamps being disposed below the upper surface of said panel.

IRA R. DISBRO.

JOHN S. COULTON. 

